


In Your Heart Shall Burn

by kayura_sanada



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace Lives, Angst with a Hopeful Ending, Asexual Monkey D. Luffy, Be Careful What You Wish For, Character Death Fix, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic Mirrors, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Post-Whole Cake Island, Sleeping Together, Wishes, get your minds out of the gutter, literally sleeping together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 20:31:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20233924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kayura_sanada/pseuds/kayura_sanada
Summary: It was Luffy’s first time hearing the legend. Long ago, a mirror was made with an ability so amazing it still wasn’t believed by many to even be real. ‘To bring the dream to life, if one denies it.’Fills the "Be Careful What You Wish For" slot for my Bad Things Happen Bingo.





	In Your Heart Shall Burn

**Author's Note:**

> I added a small fanart I made for this story at the end. Thank you all so much for your support!

Luffy looked into the mirror.

He’d been told countless times not to. Everyone on the island called this mirror cursed. Untold numbers of people, from villagers to pirates to marines, all searched the depths of the glass. None had returned.

Still, Luffy looked into it.

He knew what he would find. Every time he’d heard of another victim, he thought of what he would see. While his friends whistled and swore to give the mirror and its hill a wide berth, he fought to keep the longing from his face.

He traced his fingers along the mirror’s surface. Despite the stories, he was still surprised when they slipped beneath the glass surface. Not because he hadn’t half expected it, but because, for an instant, he could feel something soft just beneath the line of glass. For a moment, he had touched skin.

He heard Chopper and Robin shout his name, but it wasn’t to their gazes that his was fixed.

It was to a very familiar set of dark eyes, staring at him from above a sea of freckles. “Ace,” he breathed, and didn’t fear the fall.

* * *

Before they even arrived on Wayward Island, Sanji was telling the story of one of his old relatives who had once come to its shores. This relative had wanted to take the old, varnished mirror that had sat upon a hill on the island for hundreds of years and hang it in their home, evidence of their power and influence. But that mirror was considered to be magic, and cursed, able to give people their greatest desires. That great-aunt never returned.

It was Luffy’s first time hearing the legend, though Usopp and Robin had chimed in a couple of times to help Sanji in the retelling. Other villagers, including their new friend, Pertwick, helped it along. Apparently, long enough ago that the island got its name from it, a mirror was made with an ability so amazing it still wasn’t believed by many to even be real. The Marines believed in it, however. Enough to set up a station on the island to guard over the artifact. Or perhaps they’d done so because they’d hoped to seek out the rest of the legends surrounding the mirror. ‘To bring the dream to life, if one denies it.’

Sanji’s great-aunt had gotten around their fortress with mercenaries and money, and, according to the few mercenaries who had returned, had stared into the mirror. From what they said, she willingly stepped into the thing herself, her eyes glassy, her lips in a terrifyingly wide smile.

The mirror, Sanji said, wiggling his fingers a bit as if to spook them, didn’t just show people their sweetest dreams. It sucked people into itself and fed off their lifeforce. Yet the visions were so wondrous, these people allowed the mirror to claim them. Apparently denying the dream was not so easily achieved.

After fighting the Marines in their fortress (and leaving most of it a dusty wreck), Luffy and his crew had camped with the people of Wayward Island, celebrating the island’s emancipation from the military’s hold. Zoro had been the last to fall to sleep, drinking the island’s sake until there likely wasn’t any left. Luffy, having already fallen asleep after he’d stuffed himself with meat, woke shortly before he started snoring, his mind sifting through memory after memory, unable to still itself even after the battle they’d endured.

He’d wanted to free the islanders from the Marines’ hold over them. But he wouldn’t pretend his motives had been purely altruistic.

He wanted to see. He wanted to see it. The one thing he wanted most.

He headed up the hill, now that people could do so freely. His feet seemed to lead him more than his mind, as it spun around itself, wondering if this was one of those decisions his friends would call stupid. Everything was dark; the moon was nearly full, but the clouds above him were thick enough to block almost all of its light. He half walked, half crawled up the steep slope, clinging to the high grass as he made his way forward. Even though there was nothing but grass, the slopes and dips of the hill and its neighbors beyond cloaked everything in shades of black and gray. Still, the mirror stood within the darkness like a beacon, and as soon as he crested the hill, he turned to it.

The rumors spoke of the mirror as glass encased in gold, filigreed with lines of some burnished metal. In the darkness, Luffy could only see the dull shine of it. He walked toward it with wide eyes, surprised something as simple as a mirror could look so magical. For once, he didn’t leap out toward it, afraid suddenly that he might make some wrong move and break the thing. As he neared it, he could barely make out the intricate lines of its frame, the sweeping leaves and branches, like slim trees reaching out from the empty grasses to the night sky. The top of the frame was thicker than the sides and bottom, even where it stood on its precarious stand. It rose high above the reflective surface, the middle depicting something thick and round, like the world. Luffy didn’t care to stare at it for too long, interested only in the reflection before him.

It showed nothing but the landscape, even as he came close enough to be able to see himself within. It was only as he drew closer, close enough that his feet would have been visible in the glass, that something began to form. It wavered and shimmered as if in some deep waters, murky enough that Luffy could only see a line of peach and black. For a moment, he’d feared that he would only see himself, in a mirror that only pretended to be special.

But then it had come into focus, and his breath had caught in his throat. There, standing within the dark night where Luffy himself should have been, was that familiar broad chest and scruffy hair. The hat was missing, but those black shorts and orange belt, that armband, that tattoo commemorating Sabo. It was all him.

Ace’s lips moved. Even though Luffy couldn’t hear anything, he knew what those movements meant. He’d seen them so many times. And Ace’s eyes, so wide, almost comically so, as he took in Luffy standing before him and tried to speak Luffy’s name. Ace's hand pressed against the glass. Luffy, stunned, did the same. “Ace,” he breathed.

He heard Chopper and Robin shouting for him from behind, but he didn’t care. Even as his hand slipped into the mirror, making its previously still reflection shimmer and ripple, he didn’t care. Because he could, for one short moment, feel the skin of the hand he’d reached toward.

He stepped into the mirror, not with a terrifyingly large smile, but with eyes full of wonder.

* * *

At first, the entire world looked distorted. As if someone had painted brush strokes with too much water, and everything was running and falling together. Then, in a single blink, it all snapped into focus. A meadow, and grass, on top of a wide hill that fell into a forest on all sides but one, on which stood the crumbled remains of a once proud marine fortress. Not unlike the meadow he’d just left, only it was the middle of the day, sunny and practically cloudless. The breeze promised summer. The grass beneath his feet was spotted with flower buds. He could smell them as they began to bloom, could hear the bees buzz over the hillside as tiny butterflies sampled the early wares.

Below him, to his right beneath the crest of the hill, footsteps stamped down on the grass. He turned to the sound, one hand to his head. He didn’t have a headache, but he still felt dizzy.

“Luffy!”

He sucked in a breath. “Chopper?” he said, then, “Chopper!” He ran to the edge. Chopper and Robin were racing toward him, eyes wide. He slid down. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Robin pointed behind them, toward the Marine’s tower. It still stood, even with the gaping hole Luffy had put in it and the square cut into its other side, courtesy of Zoro. The smoke, a gift of Usopp’s, seemed to have died down some time during the night. In an instant, Luffy had his arms stretched behind his back, ready to launch himself. Down at the bottom of the hill, he saw no sign of his friends. “Back in the tower – the villagers found a hidden floor. There were people inside–”

It was all Luffy needed to hear. The villagers couldn’t handle the military, and if his friends had all decided they needed to take part, even Usopp, then it had to be something big. He sprung his hands forward until they reached the hole in the tower, then he grabbed the edge. “Meet me there!” he shouted, and snapped forward.

“Wait, Luffy!” Chopper shouted.

He landed inside the tower with a roll, dust kicking up as he moved. It coated his legs and back. He brushed it off as he looked around. The contents of the room were just as trashed as they’d been when he’d burst into it less than a day ago. The chill of the morning air was dulled here, and he shivered more at the change in temperature than because it was cold. He found the stairs beneath some rubble – he hadn’t needed them before; holes in the ceilings above showed the route he’d taken – and yanked the stones away before stomping down the steps.

He couldn’t hear his friends; if there were battles going on, they were either quiet, or further away, or already over. He gritted his teeth. “Zoro! Sanji! Nami!” He nearly tripped and decided the stairs were too much of a hassle; he jumped over them, using his arms to launch himself a bit. He slammed into the floor below, then jumped to the first floor, skipping the stairs again, and hurried forward down the hall. “Franky! Brooke! Usopp!”

Footsteps again. Sanji skidded into the hallway far in front of Luffy, already waving his hands to usher Luffy forward. “Over here!” he shouted, and turned to go straight back into the room he’d left from. “Nami and Usopp have nearly managed to unlock the cell.”

Unlock? Luffy hurried after him. “Unlock what? Why?”

Sanji gave him a strange look for about half a second before it turned into a scowl. “You didn’t wait for an explanation again, did you?” He sighed. “Come on. We didn’t want to just _show_ you, you idiot; you might faint or something.” Still, Sanji grabbed the back of his neck and ushered him forward.

The room they walked through was only trashed in the middle; the remains of a desk sat strewn about the floor, and one of the large row of shelves, mostly displaying weapons, had moved to the side to reveal a long stairwell. Luffy made a long, drawn out sound of approval. “Wow! A hidden entrance?! That’s so cool!”

Sanji sighed and rolled his eyes. “Would you just come on?”

Luffy let Sanji lead him down, but the stairs were too long, and he got bored. He jumped to the bottom, ignoring Sanji’s exasperated shout. He found his feet on dusty stone; the one place that didn’t have a film of the stuff was a very obvious line from the bottom of the stairs to a door that looked beaten up. Franky and Brooke stood on either side of it, arms crossed and brows pulled nearly as low as their frowns. “Franky! Brooke! You guys are all right!”

Brooke tilted his head. “Yes? Of course we are?”

“This idiot,” Franky said, and threw his hands in the air. “And Sanji’s no better! Not warnin’ the guy.” Franky stepped in front of the door just as Luffy made to peer inside. “Hold on, Luffy.”

“What?” He scowled. “I wanna see what’s inside!”

“More than you know,” Franky said. Luffy crossed his arms and tilted his head with a frown.

“Huh?”

“Now, Luffy,” Brooke said, but Luffy just stretched his legs and looked over Franky’s shoulder.

His breath caught in his chest.

Franky cursed.

Luffy drifted forward. Franky stepped aside, his attempt at hiding what lay within foiled. “Captain, you must stop,” Brooke said, but Luffy just stepped through, into the room, and stared.

Zoro, standing within, had his hand to his forehead. He stood just before the row of cages to Luffy’s right. Further in, right at the third cage door, knelt Nami and Usopp, their voices muted as they argued over which way Nami should move her tumbler next. Whoever had won the argument had been correct; even as Luffy ghosted inside, a click sounded, echoing like a gunshot in the long, empty room. Nami let out a little shriek of triumph. Usopp muttered something under his breath, then turned. And stared. “Luffy,” he choked out, and suddenly Nami wasn’t grinning anymore. She scuttled away from the cell door.

“Ah,” Usopp said. He grabbed one of the bars on the door and, still on his knees, shuffled back to pull it open. “He’s here, Luffy.”

“It's impossible,” Nami said, her voice breathless. As if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, either.

Luffy took one more, surefooted step forward, and then his legs failed him. He collapsed in front of the cell door. From within, a dark-haired man stared back at him. He blinked, and the figure came to life with a crooked grin. “Hey, Luffy.”

Tears poured down his face. Luffy scuttled forward, ignoring the sounds of warning his friends made. He barely managed to crawl through the cell door when his body went limp. “Luffy, you idiot!” And Luffy was sobbing, loud, ugly noises ripped from his throat. “That’s sea stone you’re lying on!” Still, with the last of his strength, he pulled himself forward until he was laying on the man’s lap.

Chains rattled slightly as the man shifted position, trying to assist Luffy somehow while still being trapped against the wall. “You’re gonna ruin my shorts. Luffy…”

“Ace!” he cried, clutching Ace’s shorts with shaking, feeble hands. “You were dead!”

“I know.” Ace’s voice softened. “Could someone help me free my arms?”

“Oh!” Nami raced into the room, carefully stepping onto her captain. “Here, one second.”

It took a while. Luffy didn’t really care, save for the fact that the scratching sounds were a little annoying and he still feared he was just dreaming. As if Ace would disappear the instant he let go.

Then Ace’s hands were around him, his body bent in half with the effort of hugging Luffy where he lay, and Luffy’s sobbing got even louder, until it turned into wailing. Nobody made fun of him for it. Ace didn’t say anything, either. He just held Luffy through it, until his tears turned into snot and then to snotty, salty rivers and then, finally, to a trembling body and breaths like hiccups.

“I’m sorry, Luffy,” Ace said then. Luffy shook his head, his wet, salt-caked face scrunching even as he held tight onto Ace all over again.

“No! I don’t wanna hear it!” Luffy managed to let go long enough to wrap his arms all the way around Ace, until his hands had wrapped back around to Ace’s chest. “You were dead, and I was so sad! I missed you so much, Ace!” He buried his face back into Ace’s absolutely decimated shorts. “If it hurts, so what?! You’re alive!”

Ace chuckled. It sounded strained. “Yeah. Yeah, Luffy. I’m alive.”

“What did they do to you?” Nami asked. Her voice was careful. “They must have hurt you, maybe tortured you?” Luffy stiffened. “Why else would they leave you alive, if not because they thought they could get something out of you?”

“What?!” Luffy jerked up from where he lay, nearly clipping Ace on the chin. He rounded on his friends, then on Ace. “They hurt you?!”

Ace smiled. This time, Luffy could see the way his lips only lifted on one side; he scooted around enough to see the thick bruise on Ace’s other cheek through the shadows of the cell. Luffy’s peeled his lips back from his teeth. “That’s it! I’m beating ‘em up all over again!”

“Luffy, wait!” Nami said, reaching out for him. But it was Ace’s laugh that made him pause.

“You haven’t changed a bit!” Ace coughed for a second. “They got bored every once in a while, but that’s it. They seemed to want to keep me here as some trophy. The most they’ve done is taunt me, showing me the paper about the rebel army’s hideout being found and you going up against Doflamingo – which is just like you, by the way.”

Luffy gave a watery laugh. “Yeah, we beat his ass. Oh! Ace.” Luffy grabbed Ace’s arm. Ace didn’t wince, at least, so Luffy yanked him up. “I met Sabo! He’s alive! He came to see me!”

Ace’s face split into a full grin, no longer careful around the injury. “Really?! He came to see you? He’s all right, then?”

“Yeah! He said he remembers us!”

Ace whooped and wrapped his arms around Luffy, spinning him around. Luffy’s feet smacked into the wall, and he turned to useless jelly in Ace’s arms.

“Maybe we should leave this place?” Zoro said, coming up to the cell. Ace looked to him, his eyes widening.

“Outside…” Ace dropped Luffy to the ground and dragged him forward with one hand wrapped around Luffy’s wrist. Luffy laughed and stumbled after him, one hand carefully clutching his hat.

They followed Ace like some sort of entourage, Franky and Brooke stepping in line with them as they passed, Sanji turning an about-face at the bottom of the stairs in order to lead them up. By the time they reached the floor above and the hidden entrance, Robin and Chopper had arrived.

“I guess he’s seen,” Robin said, turning to Chopper with a shrug.

“Has he found out?” Chopper asked. The little reindeer took one look at them all and moved to the side, only to step straight back in front of them. “You’re injured!” he said. “I gotta treat you!”

“Outside,” Luffy said, and moved around them all. This time it was he who dragged Ace the rest of the way.

Ace stumbled to a stop once they breached the tower's walls. The sun shone bright, tiny cirrus clouds drifting like sails through the ocean blue sky. Birds chirped. The grass sighed at the touch of the wind. Ace lifted his head and closed his eyes. His skin glistened like bronze filament. He sighed. Every muscle relaxed, one by one. Luffy watched Ace breathe and found himself tearing up all over again. Ace was _alive_.

The others piled out of the tower behind him; Chopper was the first to breach the area around them, tugging Ace until he was sitting down. Ace let himself be led, giving a rueful smile when Luffy sat down next to him, still refusing to let go of Ace’s hand. “They didn’t do much,” he said again as Chopper made him list out his injuries. “Without my devil fruit abilities, there wasn’t much I could do to stop them.”

“Oh!” Luffy frowned. “That’s right – how can you be alive if that’s gone?”

“I wasn’t, apparently, for a little while.” Ace shifted a bit, his face contorting as if the words hurt him. “They resuscitated me. When I woke, it was to find my powers gone, long before I was ever thrown into that cell.”

Chopper made Ace raise and lower his arms. “No muscle loss,” Chopper said, “and your skin looks healthy, at least. Open your mouth and say ‘ah.’”

Ace obliged, then, when Chopper was finished, continued. “They asked me about Whitebeard's crew, at first, and about the peoples we protected. They… told me about Whitebeard.” Ace hung his head. His breathing hitched. In an instant, Luffy was there, hand on Ace’s bare back. The skin was bumpy beneath his fingers. Luffy pulled them back and looked, his eyes widening. Where once Ace’s proud tattoo had stood, there was now a giant scar, large enough to leave only the edges of the bones of his old tattoo. Luffy pushed Ace up, ignoring Ace’s surprised grunt to stare at Ace’s chest. “You only just noticed?” he asked. When Luffy looked at Ace’s face again, it was to find that crooked grin. “I didn’t get out completely scot-free.”

Luffy’s eyes watered again. He touched the scar there, too, surprised that he hadn’t noticed it earlier. It was huge, and ugly. He felt something on his chest and jumped. Ace’s fingers traced diagonally over his own chest. Oh, yeah. Ace wasn’t the only one with an ugly scar on his chest. Luffy managed a wobbly smile. Who cared? It was just proof that Ace was really alive. He hugged Ace hard enough for Ace to hitch out an “oof!”

“Luffy! I haven’t finished checking him yet!” Chopper yanked Luffy back so he could continue checking Ace over.

“So they just, what? Held onto you? Why?” Nami leaned over.

“I can guess,” Usopp said. He pointed to the area around them. “We only came here on a lark, right? Because we were told about this tiny little island that no Log Pose could ever find?” He held up one finger. “If we hadn’t heard of that, we might never have come here. And since this place can’t be found on a Log Pose, it’s one of the safest places to hide something you don’t want found.”

“Yeah, duh,” Nami said, even though Luffy’s eyes were wide. “What does that have to do with keeping Ace alive?”

“Think about it,” Usopp said, lowering his voice. “None of the Whitebeard pirates have tried anything. They’ve all just disappeared. And all of Whitebeard’s old allies, too. I wonder how many have been told that Ace is in their keeping?”

Nami covered her mouth.

“But why not inform Luffy, then?” Franky asked.

Robin chuckled. “Our Luffy has never shown any fear of attacking the government, even when they are far stronger than he.”

“Right,” Usopp agreed. “Luffy can’t be controlled, for better or for worse. But maybe others could be. Imagine. You get all the good publicity of killing Gold Roger’s son, and you get all the blackmail bargaining you need to hold the rest of his allies on a leash.”

Ace grimaced. “Great.”

“Do you think the rebel army knows?” Sanji asked.

“Sabo would have stormed the gates,” Luffy declared, his chin high. “He wouldn’t leave Ace trapped any more than I would. And I’m sure Ace’s friends would have tried to rescue him, too.”

“Sure,” Usopp said. “But they probably wouldn’t be willing to do anything obvious that might put Ace’s life at risk, either. They might have been stuck in a bad place.”

Luffy scowled. But Ace had been captured! Hurt! Then again, if they’d been told that if they didn’t give up piracy, Ace would be killed, wouldn’t they do as ordered? Especially if they didn’t know where he was? “They must be worried about him. We’ll have to tell them. And Sabo, too!”

“Let’s give him a few days to heal first,” Chopper said, finally stepping back and putting his things away. “It looks like he only has a few scrapes and bruises, but he’s got to be tired from being stuck in a cell all this time. His muscles may look fine, but they have to have atrophied while in there. He needs to get his strength back, both physically and emotionally. The moment he re-enters the world, things are gonna get difficult for him. Let’s give him the chance to rest and soak up the sun before then.”

Luffy looked Ace up and down. His shoulders did seem to be sagging a bit, and he was still leaning his face toward the sky like a flower that had starved for sunlight. For Ace’s sake – and, he had to admit, for his own, more selfish desires – Luffy agreed. “We’ll stay for a couple of days. But I don’t wanna be here when the Marines find out this tower’s down. Everyone, grab anything we might need and keep an eye out for the Marines. No matter what, Ace is getting off this island with us. Got it?”

His crew shouted in agreement. Each came over to Ace, some to say words of encouragement or clap him on the back, and a couple who stated it was nice to see him again or state their relief in his well-being. All, however, eventually left, giving him and Ace the space they needed. Luffy collapsed next to Ace, beaming a smile up at the sun. “I still can’t believe it,” he said, and listened as Ace carefully lay down next to him. “This is better than I ever could have dreamed.”

He turned to Ace, the sunlight no match for the brilliance of Ace, his skin bright and shining beside him, his old tattoo still on his arm, commemorating their brother. His hair, greasier than usual after his long stint in the cell, still fell in black waves to his neck. He didn’t have his hat, though. That, and his necklace, left his entire upper half bare. Now that Luffy was looking, the scar was the only thing adorning Ace’s chest, and so it was the first thing Luffy saw. The sunlight dappled the scar in light and shadow, showing off every single bump. Before Luffy could think about it, he was tracing the lines again.

“This – being free, being in the open air again. Seeing you and knowing you’re safe.” Ace turned to him and smiled, his freckles crinkling as much as his dimples. “Well.” Ace touched Luffy’s chest again, over Luffy’s scar. “Safe enough, considering it’s you we’re talking about.” Luffy grinned. “It’s more than I’d hoped for after all this time, it’s true.” Ace’s smile dimmed. “But…”

Luffy sat up. “But?”

Ace remained stationary, letting Luffy throw his shadow over Ace’s skin. There was something in Ace’s eyes. Luffy hadn’t seen its like for a long time. It was deeper, darker than usual. His fingers tingled. “I spent a long time down there, thinking about everything I said to you that day.” Luffy grimaced. He and his friends didn’t talk about what happened then. It was easier to remember Ace and smile if he wasn’t thinking about that day. “And everything I didn’t say.”

His heart flipped right over itself. He flapped his arms. “I haven’t become the pirate king yet, but I’ve fought a couple of the big four a little bit! Some of my crew and I even took on Big Mama’s crew! I’m getting there! It’s gonna happen!”

Ace blinked. “You _what?”_ His mouth dropped. “I hadn’t seen any news about that! Doflamingo was bad enough, you clown!” Ace shoved him. Luffy laughed up a storm. This felt so good, the sun and wind and Ace, Ace, Ace. When Ace loomed over him to glare into his face, Luffy wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “Luffy, you moron! It hasn’t been so long since you attacked Doflamingo! When did this happen?”

“Right after,” Luffy said, and got to watch Ace’s jaw flap open again.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed, you idiot!”

“Hey! Ow!” Luffy curled away from the blow far too late. “Mean! And while I’m still just happy you’re alive!”

“How do you think I would feel, to finally be free of that place and find out you’d gotten your stupid self killed?!”

He glared up with tearful eyes. “But I didn’t! We were fine! Jinbei even helped us out! He’s part of my crew now!”

That stopped Ace all over again. _“What?”_

“Just let me explain!” Luffy shouted. “And don’t hit me anymore!”

Ace snorted, but at least he relaxed a little bit. “No promises.”

“Then I’m not telling you!” Luffy shouted and flipped Ace off.

Ace threw his hands in the air. “Either you tell me or I’ll get your crew to!”

“You can’t make them; they’re _my_ crew!”

“As if they wouldn’t _love_ to complain about the trouble you put them through!”

“Shut up!” Luffy squinted his eyes shut and stuck his tongue out. His heart hammered the instant he closed his eyes. He popped them back open. Ace’s mouth was already open, ready to send another scathing retort his way. Luffy just leaned up and grabbed Ace in a hug again, potential knocks to the head be damned. “I don’t wanna fight! I just wanna be near you!”

Ace stopped. Luffy could feel his muscles quivering. He didn’t know if it was because he was tired, like Chopper had said he’d be, or if it was from some sort of emotional load. Either way, Ace stopped fighting. Those strong hands wrapped around Luffy’s back. “I just want to be near you, too.” Ace lowered his head into Luffy’s shoulder and breathed deep. “All right. Tell your story. I promise not to hit you. Though for every stupid thing you did, I reserve an extra piece of meat at dinner tonight.”

Luffy scowled. “No!”

“It’s my last offer.”

He warred within himself. The meat was his, and he was sure Sanji was cooking up something delicious in celebration of Ace’s return. But Ace was still recovering, and he was _alive_. For _one_ meal, Luffy supposed he could make that sacrifice. After all, how many stupid things could he have possibly done?

* * *

Luffy pouted his way through the whole meal.

He didn’t think he’d done so bad. Why was he indebted to Ace for over eighty pieces of meat?! That was way more than just tonight’s!

Eventually, Robin and Chopper started taking pity on him, and they sneaked some of their meat onto his plate. He ate it desperately, swallowing quickly as Sanji caught sight of him nicking a piece from Robin. Sanji unleashed hell’s chef’s fury on him. “Mean,” Luffy grumped, his face swollen despite his devil fruit powers. He dropped his chin to the table. “I’m your captain! Gimme some meat!”

“Like hell! Consider this loss of meat karma; life’s little warning to think before you act!”

“But I was helping you out! Stingy! Ungrateful!”

“I don’t want to hear that from you, of all people!”

Ace roared with laughter, cutting short Luffy’s retort. Luffy sat still, face still planted on the table, and let his mouth fall shut so he could hear that sound. It was a miracle enough that Ace was alive. But to be able to hear him laugh? Luffy shivered. He’d started forgetting what that sounded like. He was so lucky. He was _lucky_. So…

Other than the cruel torture of being denied his meat, the night was a happy one; the villagers were happy to give them yet another fest, this time in honor of a lost comrade of theirs. Luffy was ready to fight off anybody who reacted poorly to Ace’s return, but nobody did or even said anything. Zoro was skeptical, but Nami noted that, after years of being subjugated by the Marines, these people likely considered any enemy of the Marines to be a friend of theirs.

By the time they finally stopped eating and partying, the crickets and owls had come out to begin their own adventures. Luffy watched one owl soar out above the top of the hill. He followed its flight for several moments before he felt the warmth of a nearly forgotten weight next to him. Ace settled in beside him. “Thank you,” Ace said suddenly.

Luffy lifted his chin. “The only reason I let you have that meat is ‘cause you’re injured.”

Ace snorted. “It’s not my fault you found it necessary to start a full-out war with two of the Big Four at the same time.”

Luffy sent a sulky glare to his side. It fumbled at the soft smile on Ace’s face, but he stuck it out, dammit. “I needed to save my cook.”

“And that necessitated immediately making yourself known to Big Mama’s family how, exactly?”

Luffy puffed out his cheeks. “Tell her and her people to not make houses out of food, then!”

Ace laughed again. “That’s Big Mama for you,” he said. He looked up. His gaze flickered with the starlight, charting a course Luffy couldn’t see. “Walk with me?” Ace said suddenly. His face looked somber, as if whatever he’d seen up there might be as dark as the cell.

Luffy stood, one hand out for Ace. When Ace took it, Luffy got a full-body shiver. Ace’s skin was warm, his fingers callused. Luffy bit his lip. Lucky, he reminded himself. Having Ace back was the luckiest thing that could have ever happened to him. Whatever revelations he’d gleaned from Ace’s death – whatever he’d learned when Rayleigh had asked him about his friends and he’d realized that he needed his friends to soothe him from the loss of someone so integral it was less like a brother and more like a limb – and then, with Sabo’s miraculous return, only to realize he loved Sabo _differently_ from Ace, if not just as dearly – all of that changed nothing but his own perception.

For all that he wasn’t as smart as Robin or Usopp or Nami, he was smart enough to know that brothers who were lucky enough to meet again after death maybe shouldn’t push that luck and hope for even more.

Besides, love was weird. Who said he needed to proclaim his feelings? He had Ace. Ace loved him, and he loved Ace. They were important to each other. Who cared if they called that love familial or romantic? What made them any different, save for how people looked at it? And who cared what anyone called it, anyway? So long as they knew what it was…

Only… _did_ Ace know about it?

The hill they climbed was familiar. Just beside it sat the broken tower, its crumbling side on open display to the night wind. Ace turned his cheek into it, let the breeze ruffle his hair. Luffy’s breath stilled. “Luffy.” Ace tilted his head slightly toward him. It made his hair fall into his eyes. Freckles patterned out the shadows to the stars above.

Ugh! All of this thinking was giving him a headache! Screw it! He was a pirate; pirates took what they wanted!

He grabbed Ace’s arm and yanked. Ace just stumbled, his eyes widening. Luffy scowled, then stretched his legs long and kissed Ace.

It was a weird experience. First, he clacked his teeth on Ace’s, which would have made them both bounce away if not for Luffy’s death grip on Ace’s arm. So after the loud _clack_, they just smooshed their lips together, which made their noses so crushed against each other that Luffy couldn’t breathe. That was it. Proof positive that kissing was stupid. He leaned back, snapping back to normal. His hand, still on Ace’s arm, dragged him down a few more inches before Luffy let go of him. Ace did not, however, straighten up. His entire body seemed frozen. His eyes, wider than ever, seared into Luffy’s.

Luffy put a finger to his chin. “Huh. Why do people like that? Maybe I don’t love you like that, after all?” But it wasn’t a familial love, because he loved Sabo like that. And it wasn’t a love for a friend, because he had a lot of friends, including his dear shipmates, and he didn’t love them like that. What other loves were there?

“_Luffy.”_ Ace blew out an exasperated breath. He grabbed Luffy’s upper arms. His grip was tight, but not crushing, like Luffy’s had been. Ace turned Luffy around slightly so they faced each other head on. Ace’s crooked grin slipped up, as if he was hearing a joke Luffy couldn’t. “Like this,” he murmured, and dipped his head down. When Ace took his lips, it was far gentler than Luffy’s had been.

Lips pressed against Luffy’s own, but they didn’t try to meld or seek to be too close. They just sat there, interminable seconds passing as Luffy felt the sudden pounding of his heart, beating like it did before battle. He licked Ace’s lips; Ace tasted just like he’d always smelled, plus a bonus of Luffy getting to taste the meat Ace had stolen from him. His hands shook in excitement. He leaped onto Ace. Ace broke the kiss on a gasped curse. Luffy laughed. “That’s a lot better! You’re good at that!”

“It just takes not trying to chew the other’s face off!” Ace smacked the side of Luffy’s head, but the patronizing move meant nothing to the high of the feeling in his chest. He wrapped his arms around Ace in another crushing hug, only to think better of it and pull back again. This time he aimed a bit better, went a little slower. He saw something _click_ in Ace’s eyes as he realized what Luffy was about to do just as he did it; he lowered himself back onto Ace’s lips, pressed a little closer. The adrenaline rush was surreal. It was different from the rush of battle and blood and anger, yet just as enervating. He giggled into Ace’s lips until Ace grinned. “You’re such an idiot,” Ace said. The insult was soft, almost sweet. Luffy felt Ace’s nose against his. He rubbed them together.

“This is fun! I’m so glad I love you, Ace!”

Ace closed his eyes. He leaned his forehead on Luffy’s. The world around them went soft, quiet. Transcendent. The crickets seemed to get louder in the stillness; the moon shone brighter and brighter upon them, until it felt like a spotlight was on their heads. The entire world seemed to breathe them in. “I love you, too, Luffy.” Ace chuckled. “Figures I spend all day trying to tell you and you just slam straight into it. You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Sure I have!” Luffy said. “I have a scar on my chest. And I’m taller. See?”

“Uh-huh,” Ace said, and grinned. Ace was just as much taller than Luffy as he’d been before. Luffy frowned. Would he ever catch up to Ace and Sabo? He was pretty sure he was at least on par with Ace as a pirate now. At least in terms of his bounty. But maybe Ace’s notoriety as Gold Roger’s son would make him have a bigger bounty once the Marines found out he was loose? Luffy frowned. Even if he loved Ace, he wouldn’t let himself be beat as a pirate.

Ace carried him up to the top of the hill. Up there sat nothing but an old mirror. Luffy stared at it as Ace set him back down on his feet. He frowned. It was familiar…

Oh, yeah. With all the stuff that had happened, he’d almost forgotten that he’d looked into the mirror. Nearly a full day ago, Luffy had walked this same path. Or, he’d dreamed he had? He’d found himself staring at it that morning. Had he fallen asleep? Sleepwalked? He’d dreamed of Ace within the glass. He looked at Ace as Ace once again settled down on the grass at their feet, placing his hands behind his head as a pillow as he stared up at the stars. Luffy turned back to the mirror, almost itching to go to it.

The mirror was supposed to grant the one wish a person wanted more than any other. He’d imagined Ace, and then he’d found him. He looked at Ace again. Hadn’t Chopper said something about Ace’s muscles, how he would need to rest? Yet Ace had easily carried him up the hill. And save for the scar, Ace looked the exact same as Luffy remembered him. His friends had changed over the past few years – Zoro had one less eye, Sanji had facial hair, Usopp and Nami had longer hair. But Ace looked the exact same.

Luffy eyed the mirror again. If he could have one wish…

“Luffy? You gonna join me?”

Luffy chewed his bottom lip. He took one last glance at the mirror, then went to Ace. He straddled Ace’s chest. Despite being supposedly ill and weak, he took Luffy’s weight easily. Luffy bit his lip again.

“What?” Ace shifted slightly beneath him. His smile, light and airy, slipped. “Do you regret what we did earlier?”

“No!” Luffy slapped Ace’s chest. Ace winced. Well, that was something, at least. “Just…” His gaze was once again drawn to the mirror. “Are you sure you’re real?”

No answer. Luffy turned back, only to find Ace’s eyes closed. He felt the rise and fall of Ace’s chest beneath his thighs. Ace had fallen asleep. Despite himself, Luffy smiled. Ace had always had that problem; whenever he got comfortable, he would just slip off into sleep. It usually only happened with Luffy or Sabo, though; when Ace felt threatened or like he might be in danger, he was wide awake.

Which meant Ace felt safe and secure with Luffy like this.

Luffy shuffled around until he was half laying on Ace’s chest and half plastered to his side. The warmth of Ace’s skin wasn’t the same near-scalding sensation it had sometimes been when he’d had his devil fruit powers, but it was nice, and it smelled like the old Ace. He closed his eyes.

Smelled like the old Ace? Ace hadn’t had a shower or anything that day, had he?

Luffy opened his eyes. No dirt or grime. Ace’s hair was perfect, with no grease. He bit his lip.

Was all of this a dream?

He blinked, rubbed away the sleepiness from his eyes. If it was a dream, then he didn’t want to leave it just yet. Instead he chose to stay awake, still splayed along Ace like a python, and just rested his head and hand over Ace’s chest. He let Ace’s breaths lift him, let the soft thud of Ace’s heartbeat soothe away the pain of knowing, suddenly, that this wasn’t real. He counted the breaths after a while, until he lost track. He yawned. His eyes fluttered shut.

He didn’t want to fall asleep. He didn’t ever want to leave this place.

But dreams were dreams. Always, always, they ended.

* * *

He woke up.

He woke up, only to feel warmth all around him, curled over him, and slightly suffocating him. He flailed. “Agh!” He stilled. His now slightly-opened mouth was moving along skin. His eyes popped wide open. “Ace?” He lips slid back, revealing his teeth. He sucked in a breath and breathed nothing but Ace.

This was awkward. What did he do? Kiss him? Nibble on him? Apologize? Ace wouldn’t whack him again for this, would he?

“Good morning, Luffy.”

Oh, shit. He covered his head. “Morning?” he said, only to realize his lips were moving on Ace’s skin some more. Interesting. He could taste Ace on his lips. It was a weird flavor. Good? Bad? Maybe just weird?

Ace chuckled. “Here.” Ace leaned up enough for Luffy’s lips to make a short smacking sound as Ace’s body lifted away. Before Luffy could do more than lick the taste off, Ace was leaning down for a good morning kiss. It didn’t taste like much, but it got his heart racing again. He decided it was more good than weird and wrapped his arms around Ace again.

They spent a good few minutes doing nothing but testing out this whole kissing thing. Luffy’s stomach was what eventually interrupted their fun. He broke away from Ace’s lips and rubbed it, laughing. “I forgot! We’re late for breakfast!”

Ace laughed. “Well, put me down in the history books; I made Luffy forget about food.”

Luffy couldn’t help the wide grin on his face or the way he held onto Ace’s hand as he started leading Ace down the hill. It was as the slope began to curve beneath their feet that he stopped. He looked back.

The mirror looked the exact same as it had the night before. The swirls of its gilded frame all looked like wind, or waves, or something. Despite himself, he started walking back to it. Ace’s grip tightened. “Luffy?”

“I know that thing,” he said, his voice low. He looked at Ace. For a moment, his hunger disappeared. Instead his stomach curdled, like he’d drunk some bad milk. “I saw you in it.”

Ace huffed a breath. He gave Luffy a half-smile. “I was in the prison, remember?”

That was true. Ace hadn’t been with him when he’s stared at the mirror. But he _had_ stared at it, and he _had_ seen Ace. He was sure of it. He frowned. What had happened in-between looking into the mirror and hearing Robin and Chopper calling for him? Had he really spent hours staring at the stupid thing? Or… He looked at Ace again. He’d asked if Ace was real. Ace hadn’t been awake to answer. He took a deep breath. “You’re real… right?”

That huffed laughter turned a bit more disbelieving. “You’re joking, right? Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” Ace scratched his head. “I still can’t believe I’m out of that place.”

Luffy bit his lip. “Yeah…” He looked at Ace. He didn’t seem really upset? Even after all these years, Luffy knew Ace inside and out. Ace wasn’t angry. He wasn’t even all that sad. He was… out of patience seemed the best phrase; he was staring down and to the side, his lips pulled a little low. Luffy looked at the mirror once more. He _knew_ he’d seen Ace in it. But maybe not?

“Come on,” Ace said, tugging Luffy closer – closer to Ace, and farther away from the mirror. “Let’s go get you food.”

At the word _food_, Luffy’s stomach let out a roar. He flushed. “Yeah!” he agreed, and started racing down the hill. Whatever was going on, he could figure it out after he ate.

* * *

“Are we not supposed to talk about it?” Usopp whispered, leaning over to Brooke. Even with his hand covering one side of his mouth, Luffy could still hear him just fine. To Luffy’s side sat Ace, who Luffy had thankfully talked into not eating any more of his meat. Sanji had rewarded them with a large fish breakfast, topped off with the remains of the meat from the previous feasts in a nice stew. Luffy guzzled it down, immensely grateful to have meat in his belly once again.

Brooke gave a loud guffaw. “Nonsense! I am already writing a song for it. How could I sing it if we aren’t supposed to mention it?”

“I think it’s cute,” Robin said.

“I think it took too damn long,” Nami responded, raising her hand to Sanji to order seconds. Sanji spun away to do as commanded.

Luffy let the conversation of his friends wash over him. It felt good. It felt like when they’d all gotten back together after those years apart. It felt like he was living the best part of his life, outside of the adventures. Hanging out with the people he loved, hearing the laughter and the shouts and the goading. He watched Chopper stand on top of Franky as they acted out some part of some play, listened as Brooke played a song to go with the scene, until the song changed slightly and the words became more of a ballad. Nami and Robin applauded while Zoro demanded they shut the noise up. It was like being on his ship, the family that was his crew all around him.

He looked over to Ace and smiled as he slurped up his stew. Ace was picking a fish bone out of his teeth, his body shaking with laughter as he cheered Luffy’s comrades on. His bronze skin glistened in the sunlight. His freckles danced as his dimples winked. He was beautiful, and he was alive.

Even though he no longer had his _Mera Mera no Mi._ Even though he’d taken that fist through his chest and had bled out on Luffy’s shoulder. Even though he’d closed his eyes and… and his Vivre Card had burned away. Even though Luffy had felt Ace fall limp in his arms. Even though Ace had been buried.

Luffy stopped slurping. The stew spilled down his chin into his lap. He choked.

Ace was buried. Ace… Ace had been buried. He dropped his bowl and swallowed with a huge gulp, then started coughing. “Luffy?!” Ace clapped him on the back. His touch was solid and real. Luffy felt tears gather in his eyes. They had to be from having nearly choked to death on Sanji’s stew. There could be no other reason.

“Luffy!” His coughing subsided just in time for Ace to shove his face right in front of his, until their noses nearly touched. “Are you all right?”

His eyes looked real. His voice sounded real. Luffy reached up and clasped Ace’s face between his fingers. He felt real. Ace squinched up his nose and pulled away. “Ugh! Luffy, your hands are soaked. You’re getting me sticky.”

Luffy blinked. “Oh.” He looked at his hands. Sauce dribbled down his wrists to his arms. The sauce was a bright brown in the bowl, but in those lines on his fingers, it looked an awful lot like blood.

“Luffy?”

He looked up to see all of his friends staring at him. Luffy lowered his hands from Ace’s cheeks. Ace was right. Luffy had stained him. He looked like he had blood on his cheeks. Like he had been in a battle. Like he had _died_.

Luffy stood up.

“Luffy!” Nami and Usopp stood up, both of them looking at him with wide eyes. Luffy looked away before he could see everyone else’s expressions. He still heard, however, as Ace stood up.

He turned and ran.

“Luffy, _wait!”_ Ace shouted, but he didn’t. He ran as fast as he could, pushing with everything he had. He moved aimlessly for a while, wanting only to get away, but after only a handful of heartbeats, he found himself turning toward the hill. He heard Ace behind him, shouting almost hysterically for him to slow down, to wait up. Luffy clapped his hands over his ears.

He’d felt Ace die. For two years, he’d trained, the knowledge of what had happened trapped with him every moment of every day. Without his friends, he’d had only Jinbei and Rayleigh to pull him from the abyss of his pain. Through them, he had found purpose in continuing forward when everything looked like it was at an end. He’d sworn to never lose another loved one. It had gotten him through.

And he _had_ gotten stronger. And he _hadn’t_ lost anyone else. But the agony of losing Ace wasn’t something that ever truly went away. It would return, in flashes, like a stab from a sword. He’d simply come to accept it as part of his life. Ace was dead. The pain of that knowledge hurt. It had hurt him for over two years, and it would continue to hurt him for the rest of his life. A wound, less obvious than the one on his chest or the one on Zoro’s face, but a wound, nonetheless. The price of growing stronger.

Coming here, helping these people. Finding Ace. It was all wonderful. Very wonderful. Hence why, as his feet carried him to the crest of the hill, he finally focused his gaze on his target – the mirror. His feet slowed, no longer carrying him at breakneck speed, but instead slowing to a near crawl.

“Luffy!”

He moved to the mirror until he stood before it. The frame still looked like waves and wind, all blowing around the bright sheen of the mirror it encapsulated. But now that he was staring at it, he thought the thing up at the very top, in the center, might have been some sort of devil fruit. He reached up to touch it.

“Luffy!”

Ace grabbed his wrist and yanked it down. Luffy looked at Ace, eyes wide, lips pulled back. Ace looked _scared_. And as Luffy took in the reflection of himself and Ace in the mirror, as he took in the feel of Ace’s fingers on the hand he’d reached out toward the mirror, it flooded into him. He wrenched his hand back. Ace stumbled. “It was real, wasn’t it?” Luffy snapped. Ace’s eyes caught on his and held – a deer, suddenly, caught by a tiger. It wasn’t a look he’d ever seen on Ace’s – _the real Ace’s_ – face before. Not ever. “All of this is fake, isn’t it? _You’re_ fake. You’re not really Ace!”

“No, Luffy, I am. I am Ace, I swear!” Ace said, holding out his hands as Luffy raised one back for a punch. Luffy paused. “I’m really Ace. The Ace from your memories.” Seeing Luffy no longer ready to send him flying, he gentled his stance, then his voice. “You created me. Your desire to see me again, to be with me, gave me life in this place.”

Luffy lowered his fist. “What place is this?” he asked. In answer, Ace gestured toward the mirror.

“The other side of the Wish Mirror. Some crazy scientist named Caesar locked a devil fruit in the frame of a mirror to see if items could be enhanced if they ‘swallowed’ the fruit. The _Negai Negai no Mi_ has been a part of this mirror ever since.”

Luffy looked up. The thing that looked like a devil fruit sat at the top of the frame, right in the middle. His lips thinned. “So I’m inside the mirror?”

“Yes.” Ace grabbed Luffy’s hand once more, trying to tug him away from the mirror. Luffy didn’t budge. Ace’s lips pulled back again, into something like a grimace. Now that image, Luffy _had_ seen before. Ace wore it when he was worried. Usually not for himself. Almost, Luffy let himself get tricked by that face. Ace had always worried about him, and Luffy was pretty clueless. It was instinct to let Ace’s concern jumpstart his own. But not this time. When Ace realized this, he stopped trying to pull Luffy away and just held his hand tight, curling their fingers together. “This place is the exact same as the other side. It looks the same, feels the same. Only, in here,” he said, and squeezed Luffy’s hand, “there’s _me.”_

Luffy’s breath whooshed out. His fingers closed over Ace’s. Because yes, that was what he wanted. The real world. The real world, his friends… and Ace.

“Luffy, you can still have it all here.” Ace waved a hand to indicate the edge of the hill. “Your friends. The sea. One Piece.” Ace touched his bare chest. “Me.” Luffy’s lips trembled. He reached up to touch Ace’s chest, too. Right over Ace’s hand. Right over Ace’s _heart_. He could feel Ace’s warmth. “That’s it. You can live your dream, Luffy. With me.”

He could have it all. Live it all. Here. With Ace.

_I only have one regret – that I couldn’t see you fulfill your dream._

“No,” he said. He shook his head. With a single step, he brought their arms to their full lengths, barely able to retain contact. “You’re not real. This is just some… illusion.”

“It’s more than that,” Ace said. “It’s your wish. The one thing you wanted more than anything. And you can have it, Luffy. You already do! All of your friends are down there waiting for you. You can sail off. With me. We can sail off together. We can reach One Piece. You can become Pirate King. Everything you ever wanted is yours.”

Luffy shook his head. “It wouldn’t be real,” Luffy whispered.

“You can choose it as real,” Ace said. His voice hitched up as Luffy moved to the edge of the reflection. The edge of this world. He rushed out his next words. “This place is all about you and your wishes. You can forget. About all of this. You can forget, and we can leave this island, and you needn’t ever think about this place again.”

He looked to the mirror. It looked like the same place. Only now, as he watched, he saw the image of Ace disappear. His heart thumped hard in his chest. He clutched Ace’s hand again, just to make sure it was still there.

He looked back. Ace smiled at him, winking those dimples at him. Luffy reached up to trace those freckles. He didn’t think he’d ever thought to memorize the way they sat on Ace’s skin, and he wondered if he’d remembered right or if Ace’s freckles had been different in real life. But that smile, those eyes, that wild, curly hair – all of that was definitely Ace.

He slid his hand to Ace’s chin, let his fingertips glide over Ace’s lips. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned forward again. This time, he moved slowly, taking the lead Ace had taken the day before. Nice and slow. Ace met him eagerly, moving to meet Luffy once he cataloged what he was doing.

This time, Luffy licked his way into Ace’s mouth, lapping up his breaths like water. Just like before, Ace tasted just like he’d always smelled. Luffy held Ace’s cheeks in his hands, guiding Ace until he could delve deeper. All the time, Ace let him, gave himself over, then, when Luffy seemed slightly sated, pushed back. It was like a storm, the way the anchors of Luffy’s world suddenly blew about. Like an invasion, the way Ace entered more than just his mouth, the way those warm, strong fingers slid from Luffy’s hand up his arms and gripped him tight. Ace, always a better pirate than he, plundered. He took everything. And what was left, Luffy gave over, anyway.

It was a kiss that was hot, full of gasping breaths that scorched the face. It was wet, their breaths turning short as they nipped at each other’s lips, seeing who could take control that second, then the next. It was, suddenly, desperate. Until finally Ace seemed to realize what it was, and he pulled away. “Luffy?” he rasped, his question little more than a gasp for air. His hands clenched and unclenched around Luffy’s upper arms.

Luffy let himself get his breath back, let himself reel a bit in the taste and touch of Ace. Then, slowly, he pushed Ace’s hands down and off of him. He stepped back. The mirror pushed against his elbow, then gave way.

“Luffy, no!” Ace reached for him again.

“Don’t! If you’re anything like the Ace I remember, you won’t stop me.” Luffy held a hand out, but he didn’t have to. As if his words were tangible, Ace stopped still. His hands, reaching out, slowly fell to his sides. His lips pulled into a frown deep enough to leave craters.

“You’re leaving.”

His voice sounded choked. Luffy wanted to pull Ace close, to take away the hurt in his face. “I swore to… to the real Ace.” Just the words pulled agony into his chest. Luffy clung to the frame of the mirror for strength. He shook his head. “No. For myself.” He lifted his chin. “I’m going to be the Pirate King. The _real_ Pirate King. Not one in just my dreams.” He wanted to keep looking and looking at Ace. He didn’t ever want to lose sight of this. He memorized everything he could – even the freckles – until his vision turned too blurry. He grinned. “I’m gonna live my life all the way, with no regrets. Freer than anyone. Right, Ace?”

Even with his vision turned to water, he could see the answering smile, until it grew into that beautiful grin. Luffy’s chest ached like thunderbolts. “Yeah,” Ace said. “You’ll make it. You’ve always made me proud.”

If this was only Ace as Luffy remembered him, then he remembered Ace really well. “I love you, Ace. I always will. I’ll live our dreams. I promise.”

“I love you,” Ace echoed, and it didn’t matter if he meant romantically or not. Luffy had always known that Ace loved him.

“I’ll see you again,” Luffy promised. He stepped into the mirror and felt its solid face ripple around him. Allowing him to leave. “Every night. I’ll tell you everything I get up to. That way, you’ll still be with me.” He didn’t take his eyes off of Ace, even as he moved backward through the mirror. Ace lifted one hand. One last, final salute.

“Goodbye, Luffy. For this dream of yours – for wanting nothing more than to be able to live your normal life, with me in it – thank you.”

Luffy chuckled. “Stupid! I’m the one who’s thankful. I got two more whole days with you!”

Ace chuckled right back. Luffy forged the sound onto his heart, so his ears could hear it whenever he wanted to. “I got that, too, you know.”

Luffy nodded. He had to move forward. He’d learned those two years after Ace died – he needed to continue forward. At least this time, he wouldn’t face so many horrible, cold days alone. He would be returning to his friends. They would help him. “One day,” he promised. “Years and years after I become Pirate King. I’ll come visit you. We can share another cup of sake then. And I’ll confess to you, fair and square.”

He turned his face to the mirror. He was already half through. The turn itself made the brim of his hat disappear to the other side.

“I’ll be waiting,” he heard, just as he slipped through. The world shimmered, shook. Then everything faded to black.

* * *

“Luffy!”

“Luffy!”

“Give him room, everyone!”

Luffy opened his eyes.

Only to be blinded.

“Agh!” He swung his arms up to block the bright light, only to whack something and make the light disappear. Whatever he hit hurt his wrist. He shook it as he rubbed at his eyes with his other hand. “Hey! Who’s there?! What’re you doing?!”

“Luffy! You’re awake! Stop moving around; you just hit Chopper!”

He did as Usopp ordered, stilling himself long enough to hear Chopper, in a blocked-up voice, say, “no, it’s fine.” He frowned. When his eyesight finally returned to normal, he saw the shapes of his friends all around him – Nami leaning over him, her hair falling close to his chest, Chopper holding his head high, still trying to check Luffy over while his nose bled into a tissue Robin held under his nostril, Usopp biting his nails while Zoro glared at Luffy with his arms crossed. Luffy turned and lifted his head to the sound of someone moving around, but his vision spun. He groaned and laid his head back down, wincing when it hit the grass. His stomach felt like it was caving in on himself. He hadn’t felt this hungry in a long, long time.

“Don’t move,” Chopper told him. The little reindeer shone that light back into his eyes, then lifted Luffy’s lips, then pinched his arm. Luffy whined. “Dehydrated, malnourished, some muscle loss. Considering he’s only been in the mirror for a couple of days, that’s worse than it should be. Sanji! He’ll need to be started on liquid diets only!”

“That idiot’s already long gone. I’ll tell him,” Zoro said. He barely managed to take a single step before Usopp waved his hands out, stopping Zoro. “Oh, no! We don’t need to go searching for you again. You stay here. _I’ll_ go tell Sanji. At least now Brooke can stop writing those depressing dirges,” he muttered, and moved to take off. Franky had to move to give him room to pass.

Luffy scowled harder as Chopper’s words filtered in. “Meat!”

“No meat!” Chopper said. “Your stomach can’t handle solid foods right now!”

“But if he’s complaining about meat,” Nami said with a smile, “he’s definitely all right.” She sat back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Welcome back, you idiot. I hope you know you’re going to pay me back for all the worry you caused.” She held up a hand and made a circle with her thumb and forefinger. “In cash, of course!”

He looked around. His friends were all gathered around him, so jam-packed together he could barely see the sky above him. Chopper moved, likely to grab something from his satchel. When he did, Luffy caught sight of the mirror. He was still on the hill.

Ace was nowhere in sight.

Tears clouded his vision all over again. It reminded him of his last sight of Ace, waving goodbye to him as if he was just leaving for a short while. A sob bubbled up from his chest.

“Luffy?” Robin touched his forehead, her other hand still blocking Chopper’s nosebleed. “What’s wrong?”

Her words stopped Nami’s list of gifts she expected and stopped Usopp’s descent down the slope of the hill. Everyone turned to him, taking in the tears that spilled down the sides of his cheeks to his ears, to the grass where he and Ace had spent the last night together. “Everyone,” he said, and just. Sat up. The world tilted on its axis, and his arms felt tight. They didn’t stretch as much as he wanted, but the managed to wrap his friends into a hug. All of them shouted and shrieked, but when he bent his head and sobbed into the mess of hair and faces all around him, they settled. “Everyone… I saw Ace!”

He sobbed, his entire chest heaving. Almost as one, all of his friends shifted and wrapped their arms around him. They even, after he started hiccuping his story to them, cried with him.

He wasn’t alone.

* * *

The tower had no secret dungeon. The island held no secret prisoners. They broke the mirror, took the _Negai Negai no Mi_, and put the island to their rudder.

There was nothing there for them anymore.

~*~

~*~

A door creaked open. Slowly, footsteps entreated within the darkened interior. A flash of light beamed into the room. It glanced over cobblestone floors, thick concrete walls, and sparkling cells bars before stopping at a single cell. The footsteps clipped louder, the steps hurried.

Within one cell, a single person moved. Chains clanked and scraped as the person lifted their head, squinting in the bright light. Their skin was sunken, sallow, the flesh as pale as ash. Dark brows pulled low over a face hidden behind a long, scraggly beard. The person cleared their throat, the sound so dry it seemed like little more than sand on stone. “Sabo?” the person whispered.

The one with the torch bent low, the light shining off the grin that showed glistening teeth. “I can’t believe it,” the person said. This voice cracked, even though it held no hint of illness or dryness. “You’re alive.”

“Am I?” the person said, chuckling lowly. “Or have I finally gone mad?” The prisoner hung his head. Long, clumped locks of black hair obscured his face.

The person stood straight. He reached behind his back with his free hand and grabbed a long, thin metal rod. With a slam, he hooked it through the bottom of the bars imprisoning the other man. The sound of wrenching metal made the man look back up, just as the door creaked. The lock clicked, then snapped. The man kicked it away. He doubled over then, breathing heavily. The torch fell from his grip.

“Sabo?!” More chains, a cacophony that echoed in the dead space. Other people moaned then, voices cropping up along the edges of the room. Other footsteps entered the room then, a dozen, more. Despite them, the sound of Sabo’s gasping sounded loudest.

“I’m fine,” he rasped. He stumbled into the cell. A sniff echoed off the walls of the dark room. “I’m so glad Blackbeard found us. So glad we had to run.” He touched the prisoner’s shoulder, carefully avoiding the shackles. A drip of water plopped onto the prisoner’s grimy knee. “Let’s get you out of here. There’s someone else who would want to know you’re alive. Let’s go find him and celebrate together.

“Is that all right? Ace?”

_In your heart shall burn an unquenchable flame._

~*~


End file.
